Networking | Connections

Even the afternoon downpour and the flash flooding throughout Northeast Wisconsin didn’t keep the serious networkers away. On July 22, more than 30 men and women gathered at Holiday Inn Select – Marlon’s Bar and Grill in Appleton.

The attendees were united in a rather unique – yet completely 21st century – way. LinkedIn connected the crowd and brought members together from Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh and Manitowoc to network.
Read More...

People connect in different ways. That’s the lesson that one presenter was striving to illustrate during Leaderfest ’10 at Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan last month. When I arrived, Steve Proudman, owner of The Proudman Group Inc., was telling the 75 or so young professionals to gather together based Read More...

Walking up the stairs to a private dining space at Titletown Brewery in Green Bay, I expected to participate in an intense networking hour. The attendees must be busy. Why else would they need to spend their lunch hour searching for business leads?

On Jan. 13 a group of nearly 20 professionals were gathered around tables that made the shape of a giant “U”. Most engaged in casual conversation with those sitting next to them; laughing and friendly banter was exchanged, which made it easy for a first-timer.
Read More...

Some sipped coffee, others sampled cheese and wine, a lucky few took pleasure in an extravagant meal. Smiles and handshakes were exchanged, plus a few hugs. Plenty of laughter rang in the air.

Within one week of March 2009, more than 450 women met at various homes and restaurants throughout Oshkosh, Appleton and Green Bay. The majority appeared as an ordinary assembly of girlfriends, but the gatherings had a serious side.
Read More...

Heading into the exhibit hall at the KI Center in Green Bay, it was a bit hard to decide: sample the tables filled with delicious food made by area entrepreneurs or jump into conversation with entrepreneurs, business and education leaders and others from across the New North. But since this was NEW END, you could do both at the same time (although please remember to keep your mouth closed while chewing).
Read More...

Expecting an awkward evening, prepared to discuss the unfortunate circumstances of unemployment, it was a relief the group was more lighthearted than disgruntled. Attendees slowly trickled in to The Woods Golf & Banquet Facility in Green Bay – within an hour the group had grown to just over 35. The majority came dressed for success. They were brought together for the area’s second Pink Slip party.
Read More...

Three women link arms in a vast indoor horse arena in Black Creek, trying to operate as one person and complete the task of putting a halter on a pretty tri-colored pinto mare named Ginger. It doesn’t work out as well as they’d hoped. The rules of the exercise are that the person in the center must act as the brain and the two on the outside must act as the right arm and left arm, but only with specific direction from the brain, who can not use body language in any way. Violation of these rules results  in jumping jacks. The team manages only to follow Ginger around the arena and occasionally come close to getting the halter on. They also get lots of exercise.
Read More...

As a room full of business owners gathered after hours at Lucky’s Bar & Grill in Darboy, the topic of social networking came up. Tracy Heckel didn’t hesitate to share a recent experience. Explaining how she received an assignment through her LinkedIn account, the graphic designer at Guten Tag! Design Studios in Oshkosh inspired others to chime in.
Read More...

On a recent sunny Monday morning, two dozen area business women swap suit jackets for polo shirts and board rooms for the fairway. Members of the Executive Women’s Golf Association and their guests are unloading golf clubs in the parking lot of Riverview Country Club in Appleton by 8:15 a.m. for the association’s Golf for Business outing on July 27. It seems a much more appealing way to start the week than dragging into the office and facing mail, meetings and monster piles of work.
Read More...

The room on an early summer day heats up as legislators take the podium. Representatives from both parties stand before 50 individuals and present their views on everything from underinsured motorists to health care reform to the then-unresolved state budget. From my seat, with eyes affixed on the speakers and the opponents waiting to be heard, the topics stir emotion and appear to captivate all present for this De Pere at Dawn event. Half are regular attendees and the others are new faces, drawn in by the morning’s subject.
Read More...

When starting a business, knowledge is power. Four entrepreneurs shared what worked for them and what didn’t during a recent Hour of Power sponsored by the Young Professionals of Fond du Lac (YPF).

“Starting a business is hard. There is so much to know and it’s important to get as much information as you can beforehand,” says YPF member Anna Kottke, the owner of Kottke Financial Services in Fond du Lac. “Starting my own business was a lot of work, but it’s been very rewarding to work for myself.”
Read More...

HBBA is a serious networking group, but the vibe on a sunny spring morning felt more like a gathering of friends than a congregation of influential area men and women. “I believe one of the best ways to build business is by developing friendships and through word of mouth,” says Rick Rentmeester, executive Read More...

The Morning Business Advice series sponsored by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry was designed as an educational format, not a networking event, but that doesn’t stop those attending from making valuable business connections.

In fact, says Gary Vaughan, founder of Appleton-based Guident Business Solutions and chair of the Fox Cities Chamber Small Business Committee, some of the most valuable networking goes on at non-networking events.
Read More...

Women of all ages gathered on a Saturday morning in mid-February at the Tundra Lodge Resort in Green Bay for the annual Business and Professional Women Winter Development Conference. About 40 BPW members from Green Bay, De Pere and throughout Wisconsin attended the meeting, plus another 20 who registered for the special event.
Read More...

It was not your typical SAIL event.  It was even a bit more unusual than the club’s annual banquet – and this was the fourth. The networking began at 5 p.m. with buzz about who the celebs of the night would be.  

About 200 people gathered for a sit-down dinner at the Holiday Inn in Manitowoc in late January, in honor of the first “40 Under 40” event put on by the young professional’s organization. The mucky-mucks from the lakeshore shared tables with the up-and-comers of the community for their choice of Tilapia With Mango Sauce, Chicken Rinata or Roasted Beef in a Mushroom Sauce.
Read More...

On an icy Tuesday morning in January, a group of 40 men and women gathered in a cozy conference room in downtown Green Bay. The room was a flurry of activity as people distributed papers around the large rectangular table, snatched tasty pastries from the corner of the room and made introductions here and there. As an outsider walking in, I observed the enthusiasm around the room; I also became aware I needed to move quickly if I wanted to reserve a spot around the table.
Read More...